Smart Craft Hour Meter?

T

timinfla2

New Member
Sep 22, 2008
578
Gents,
Does anybody know where the hour meter for the engines are in a 2008 330DA? I've cycled through all of the displays on both Tachs and the speedo gauges and so far, no joy.

As always, any help is appreciated...

-Tim
 
Tim,

It's under Vessel Status in the 38DA. Shows engine hours and fuel and fuel remaining.
 
Mike,
The thing is, my boat didn't come with that central display - I assume you are referring to the one behind the wheel that's shown in the pictures? Instead, all I have is the chartplotter, the two tachs and the speedo.

I can't imagine that I'd have to purchase the damned optional smart craft display just to determine my hours, would I? LOL, if so - man was I taken, haha!

-Tim
 
timinfla2 said:
Gents,
Does anybody know where the hour meter for the engines are in a 2008 330DA? I've cycled through all of the displays on both Tachs and the speedo gauges and so far, no joy.

As always, any help is appreciated...
-Tim
Click to expand...

On my 07 310DA I think I have the same setup as you (just have the small smartcraft screen (one of each side of gauges for engines), and as you scroll (pushing the mode buttom)through the smartcraft, the hrs are listed along with some other data (it shows hrs and something else at same time, not sure what it is, not at my boat now). Look at each when scrolling (slow) but they def should be on there. Next time I'm at the boat I could tell you what the hrs are show along with.
 
Woody said:
The tach display shows battery voltage and engine hours on my Smart Craft
Click to expand...


That's EXACTLY the info I was looking for - I'll run out back real quick and scroll through and see if I see the same.

Thanks!

-Tim
 
Well I feel like a dunce - thanks guys, it was definitely there the whole time, in the same window as the voltage.

-Tim
 
So does anybody KNOW how Smartcraft calculates its gallons of fuel used? Does it use an honest-to-goodness fuel flow meter or does it just say, OK - you have 250 gallon tanks, your fuel gauges read 1/2 full, so you've used 125 gals in each tank. (Boy howdy would i like to use 125 gals, but that's another story).

I ask because my fuel gauges are giving me some issues and it'd be nice to know if the gallons used is via an independent mechanism other than a simple ratio of 'fullness' derived from the fuel gauge.

Thanks for the input.

-T
 
It isn't a physical measurement of volume like a flowmeter. My understanding is that it is a total generated by the number of injector shots and their volume. What do the fuel guages do?
 
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Woody said:
It isn't a physical measurement of volume like a flowmeter. My understanding is that it is a total generated by the number of injector shots and their volume. What do the fuel guages do?
Click to expand...

OK, I can live with that - so long as it's an independent metric for me to reference outside the fuel gauges, that's great. Thank you.

-Tim
 
In the SmartCraft Operation Manual for my system the following information tells me that you have three ways to calibrate your fuel sensor. Maybe this applies to your system also. I have attached a file with the two pages that apply.
 
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Yeah, I'm trying that too - still, something tells me there is a gremlin in the sending unit because as my gas level gets lower and lower, the tanks peg empty, then full, then somewhere in between. Around a quarter tank it starts becoming highly unreliable.

-T
 
I calibrated my tanks using the long method. I ran them almost completely out of gas, and then I told SC that is was empty. I added 1/4, then told it "1/4." I continued until full. Then, SC showed that I was full. After a while of running, it dropped to 3/4 - all at once. Then, it dropped to 1/2, then 1/4, and then I ran out of gas with it showing 1/4. I reset my tanks to the factory settings. I'm sure that I followed the manual exactly. I'm used to following checklists.
 
Man, that's annoying! I was about to go through the same trouble when I ran of time and the fuel truck showed up...

I'm going to try and cross reference the 'fuel burned' data and see where the inaccuracies spike.

-T
 
The tank senders are the weak link IMHO. I keep detailed fuel burn records based on the Smartcraft gallons used readings, cross checked by how much fuel I actually add when I fill up. The Smartcraft burn numbers are pretty accurate based on what I've seen. It's not a perfect system as my genset burn is not accounted for that way, but it is close.

-CJ
 
CJ Martin said:
The tank senders are the weak link IMHO. I keep detailed fuel burn records based on the Smartcraft gallons used readings, cross checked by how much fuel I actually add when I fill up. The Smartcraft burn numbers are pretty accurate based on what I've seen. It's not a perfect system as my genset burn is not accounted for that way, but it is close.

-CJ
Click to expand...
+1 - Ditto that. However my log tracks the genny use as well. I have the 5e which on average burns .75 gph. So easy to get to my actual remaining in the tank using that and the smartcraft burn.
 
Thanks Chuck and CJ - I appreciate the insght there. I'll try and get MM to replace or cal them under warranty...

-T
 
I complained about the gauge when I bought the boat. The dealer recalibrated, but agreed that these things are not very useful. I always reset my burn on the smartcraft at each fill and rely more on that than anything else.
 
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